Grampa had a corn crib to store corn in. The jews, oops, I mean, rats would get in there and eat all the corn. He paid me 25 cents for every rat I shot with his old 22. I spent all morning laying on my belly next to the crib, looking underneath it, watching for the rats. When one would go up into the crib, BLAM, I would shoot it. Then reach under the crib and drag the nasty rat out. Around noon I got hungry. Went to the house and ate lunch. Came back to the crib and jerked the door open to see how many rats I could see. NONE! Then I saw why! A huge copperhead was inside the crib hunting rats! I shot the damn snake and dragged it out and put it next to my pile of rats. Then it hit me! I had been reaching under that crib all morning getting dead rats while a copperhead was just above my arm! Pops gave me $5.75 for my rats and snake. But he never let me do that again. I don't know why! I was 9 or 10, can't remember which.